permaculture

[Bob Waldrop <bob@bobwaldrop.net>]

In the west of the United States, the more arid the area, the more 
strict is regulation of water.  Surface water in many areas is just like 
land.  It is not a common resource, in some areas people have privately 
held water rights to it.  Rainwater harvesting is illegal in the entire 
state of Colorado, for example. I am not saying this is right, I am 
saying that this is not something new, it's been this way ever since 
white people took control and divided up the land into private ownership.

And this is a matter involving rainwater harvesting, it does not rise to 
the level of criminalizing permaculture, which is a design system.  
Rainwater harvesting is certainly one of the tools we use, but rainwater 
harvesting is not a synonym for permaculture, istm. So the plans to 
start memorizing the Design Manual, Intro to Permaculture, and our other 
classics can be put on hold because the Oregon Firemen are not going to 
show up to burn our books a la Farenheit 451.

Bob Waldrop, OKC

On 7/30/2012 1:50 PM, Andrew Millison wrote:
> This seems really sensationalized to me. Permaculture is site specific. I
> need to look at the satellite maps of the property and the locations of the
> ponds to make an accurate judgement of the situation. Anyone have the
> coordinates?
>
> It's not the State of Oregon versus Permaculture, it's Jackson County and
> the City of Medford alleging that he's blocking a tributary that is part of
> the City of Medford's water supply. I think it's important to gather real
> information before jumping on fiery headlines. Perhaps this man is doing
> unwise water manipulation that will negatively impact Medford's water
> supply? Let's get an address and base a discussion around the watershed
> facts.
>
> http://cnsnews.com/news/article/oregon-man-sentenced-30-days-jail-collecting-rainwater-his-property
>
> "But Tom Paul, administrator of the Oregon Water Resources Department,
> claims that Harrington has been violating the state’s water use law by
> diverting water from streams running into the Big Butte River.
>
> “The law that he is actually violating is not the 1925 provision, but it’s
> Oregon law that says all of the water in the state of Oregon is public
> water and if you want to use that water, either to divert it or to store
> it, you have to acquire a water right from the state of Oregon before doing
> that activity,” Paul told CNSNews.com.
>
> Yet Paul admitted the 1925 law does apply because, he said, Harrington
> constructed dams to block a tributary to the Big Butte, which Medford uses
> for its water supply.
>
> “There are dams across channels, water channels where the water would
> normally flow if it were not for the dam and so those dams are stopping the
> water from flowing in the channel and storing it- holding it so it cannot
> flow downstream,” Paul told CNSNews.com.
>
> Harrington, however, argued in court that that he is not diverting water
> from Big Butte Creek, but the dams capturing the rainwater and snow runoff
> – or “diffused water” – are on his own property and that therefore the
> runoff does not fall under the jurisdiction of the state water managers,
> nor does it not violate the 1925 act."
>
> Andrew Millison
>
> www.beaverstatepermaculture.com
>
> On Mon, Jul 30, 2012 at 3:18 AM, venaurafarm <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>wrote:
>
> > On 7/30/2012 5:21 AM, georg parlow wrote:
> > > Is it really that bad in the US?
> > > Georg
> > > > The State of Oregon has declared war on sustainable living and self-
> > > > reliance by criminalizing rainwater collection. A man who owns 170
> > > > acres of land is now being sent to jail and fined over $1500 for the
> > > > "crime" of "stealing water from the state" by collecting rainwater
> > > > on his own land!
> > > >
> > > > This is not a joke. It's yet another example of runaway collectivism
> > > > that is fast spreading across America.
> > > >
> > > > Importantly, if Oregon can claim ownership of the rainwater that
> > > > falls on your land, the state could also outlaw solar panels by
> > > > claiming "sunlight photons" are the property of the state, too!
> > > >
> > > > Read my coverage of this breaking story at:
> > > > http://www.naturalnews.com/036615_Oregon_rainwater_permaculture.html
> > That one is hard to believe but you never know the extent of aggressive
> > greed and ignorance those types are capable of.  Add to that fracking,
> > which is real. It is a war on the people of the US by corporate greed,
> > warmongering surrogates and ignorant nouveau riche class. Thank the tea
> > party types, their political associates and their sponsors and handlers
> > for much of this.
> >
> > Paul Wheaton, rightly so, encourages doing something worthwhile and
> > positive instead of wasting time railing against the bad guys.
> > In the county next to me if property owners don't stand up for their
> > rights they will have the frackers all over adjoining leased land
> > drilling and fracking for gas, possibly horizontally under their own
> > land opening the possibility that their drinking water may become
> > permanently polluted, without any compensation to them.
> >
> > Have you been to see Sepp Holzer's farm?
> >
> > We need more Sepp's here in the US.
> >
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